U.S. patent application number 15/177980 was filed with the patent office on 2016-12-08 for method of providing patient specific immune response in amyloidoses and protein aggregation disorders.
The applicant listed for this patent is New York University. Invention is credited to Jan Grimm, Karsten Henco, Marcel Maier, Roger Nitsch, Anja Zeller.
Application Number | 20160354451 15/177980 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39712286 |
Filed Date | 2016-12-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160354451 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Henco; Karsten ; et
al. |
December 8, 2016 |
METHOD OF PROVIDING PATIENT SPECIFIC IMMUNE RESPONSE IN AMYLOIDOSES
AND PROTEIN AGGREGATION DISORDERS
Abstract
A treatment of Alzheimer's disease and other disorders involving
protein misfolding or aggregation is provided by enhancing or
sustaining an antibody response against predominantly directed
against pathological protein aggregates or neo-epitopes present on
pathogenic forms of said protein or protein complex. Furthermore,
therapeutic methods are described, wherein ex vivo stimulated
antigen-selected peripheral blood lymphocytes are regrafted into
the cognate donor.
Inventors: |
Henco; Karsten; (Dusseldorf,
DE) ; Nitsch; Roger; (Zumikon, CH) ; Grimm;
Jan; (Dubendorf, CH) ; Zeller; Anja; (Zurich,
CH) ; Maier; Marcel; (Zurich, CH) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
New York University |
New York |
NY |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
39712286 |
Appl. No.: |
15/177980 |
Filed: |
June 9, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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12733437 |
Jul 22, 2010 |
9370531 |
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PCT/EP2008/007127 |
Sep 1, 2008 |
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15177980 |
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60967178 |
Aug 31, 2007 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61K 2039/545 20130101;
A61P 3/10 20180101; A61P 9/00 20180101; C12N 15/117 20130101; A61P
9/10 20180101; G01N 2333/4709 20130101; A61P 43/00 20180101; Y02A
50/30 20180101; A61K 2039/57 20130101; A61P 21/00 20180101; A61P
25/16 20180101; A61K 31/7088 20130101; A61P 13/12 20180101; A61K
2039/55561 20130101; G01N 33/6896 20130101; A61P 25/14 20180101;
A61K 2039/53 20130101; A61K 39/0007 20130101; A61P 29/00 20180101;
A61K 39/39 20130101; A61P 27/06 20180101; A61P 37/04 20180101; A61K
2039/55511 20130101; A61P 25/28 20180101; A61K 2039/575
20130101 |
International
Class: |
A61K 39/00 20060101
A61K039/00; G01N 33/68 20060101 G01N033/68 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 31, 2007 |
EP |
07017135.0 |
Claims
1-47. (canceled)
48. A method of treating Alzheimer's Disease pathology, which
method comprises: selecting a subject who has Alzheimer's Disease
pathology; and administering, to the selected subject an
oligonucleotide or modified oligonucleotide containing at least one
unmethylated B-class CpG dinucleotide motif at a dosage in a range
of 0.2 mg to 20 mg per kilogram body weight of the selected
subject, wherein said administering is effective to stimulate
production of endogenously primed autoantibodies without
co-administration of exogenous immunogens, said autoantibodies
having binding specificity for one or more pathological
neo-epitopes of amyloid beta or a beta-amyloid-associated protein,
without stimulating production of autoantibodies having binding
specificity for non-pathological epitopes of amyloid beta or a
beta-amyloid-associated protein in the subject, thereby treating
Alzheimer's Disease pathology.
49-50. (canceled)
51. The method of claim 48, wherein the oligonucleotide is
formulated as a pharmaceutical composition, optionally together
with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
52. The method of claim 51, wherein said pharmaceutical composition
does not include an antigen comprising said pathological protein
aggregate or neo-epitope consisting of amyloid beta and
beta-amyloid-associated proteins.
53. The method of claim 48, wherein the oligonucleotide is designed
to be administered at a subclinical stage of the disorder.
54. The method of claim 51, wherein said pharmaceutical composition
comprises at least one non-nucleic acid adjuvant capable of
creating a depo effect.
55. The method of claim 54, wherein the adjuvant is selected from
the group consisting of alum, emulsion based formulations, mineral
oil, non-mineral oil, water-in-oil emulsions, water-in-oil-in-water
emulsions and the Seppic ISA series of Montanide adjuvants.
56. The method of claim 54, wherein the adjuvant comprises an
immune stimulating adjuvant.
57. The method of claim 54, wherein the adjuvant comprises vitamin
A.
58. The method of claim 54, wherein the adjuvant comprises a
compound selected from the group consisting of saponins, PCPP
polymer, derivatives of lipopolysaccharides, Monophosphoryl A
(MPL), muramyldipeptide (MDP), threonylmuramyl dipeptide (t-MDP),
Leishmania elongation factor, and glatiramer acetate.
59. The method of claim 54, wherein the adjuvant that creates a
depo effect and stimulates the immune system is selected from the
group consisting of Immune Stimulating Complexes (ISCOMS), Adjuvant
System 2 (AS2), Adjuvant System 4 (AS4), non-ionic block copolymers
and Syntex adjuvant formulation (SAF).
60. The method of claim 48, wherein said administering is performed
intravenously, intramuscularly, subcutaneously, intraperitoneally,
intranasally, parenterally or as an aerosol.
61. An oligonucleotide or modified oligonucleotide containing at
least one unmethylated B-class CpG dinucleotide motif for the
treatment of a subject who has Alzheimer's Disease pathology.
62. The oligonucleotide or modified oligonucleotide of claim 61,
wherein the modified oligonucleotide is
phosphorothioate-modified.
63. A kit for characterizing plaque structures comprising: an
oligonucleotide or modified oligonucleotide containing at least one
unmethylated B-class CpG dinucleotide motif; reagents for detection
of pathological protein aggregate or neo-epitope binding; and
instructions for use.
64. The kit of claim 63, wherein the oligonucleotide or modified
oligonucleotide is phosphorothioate-modified.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to the treatment of diseases
characterized by the appearance of neo-epitopes present in
endogenous protein aggregates both being characteristic for a
pathological status of a disease and to be selectively identified
as disease antigen by the adaptive immune system. The present
invention relates in particular to the treatment of Alzheimer's
disease and disorders involving protein misfolding or aggregation
by inducing an antibody response against at least one endogenous
protein by the sole administration of at least one immunostimulant
without need for co-administration of exogenous immunogen, whereby
such antibody response is predominantly directed against
neo-epitopes present on pathogenic forms of said protein or protein
complex. Furthermore, the present invention concerns the use of
immunostimulants to be administered ex vivo to antigen-selected
peripheral blood lymphocytes that are subsequently re-grafted into
the cognate donor. In addition, the present invention makes use of
the therapeutic observations and includes methods of screening for
novel binding molecules, which may or may not be antibodies,
targets and drugs in the treatment of various disorders, in
particular neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and
amyloidoses including beta-amyloid pathology.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Alzheimer's disease ("AD") is the most common cause of
age-related dementia and is a major cause of disability and death
in the elderly. This disease, for which there is currently no
effective cure, is a long-progressing, neurodegenerative disorder
of the central nervous system characterized by increasingly
debilitating, global cognitive defects including loss of memory,
language deficits, and impaired judgment and abstract
reasoning.
[0003] Post-mortem examination of brain tissue from AD patients
reveals proteinaceous fibrils and filaments comprising
extracellular plaques, vascular deposits of beta-amyloid, and
intraneuronal neurofibrillary tangles. These fibrils and filaments
comprise aggregates of a variant of the beta-amyloid precursor
protein ("APP") called beta-amyloid-peptide (Abeta), and tau,
respectively. Mutations or polymorphisms in the APP gene are found
in patients with familial AD and are sufficient to increase in
Abeta production in cultured cells, transgenic mice and human
patients and, thus establishing a direct link between human gene
variants and the disease pathology. Furthermore, more generally it
is believed that abnormal depositions of amyloid proteins in brains
result in amyloidosis which manifests itself in a variety of
conditions, disorders, and diseases, Alzheimer's disease being one
of the most prominent ones.
[0004] Presently there are no known effective treatments for
preventing, delaying, halting, or reversing the progression of
Alzheimer's disease and other conditions associated with
amyloidosis. Consequently, there is an urgent need for methods of
treatment capable of preventing and treating conditions associated
with amyloidosis including Alzheimer's disease as well as other
diseases.
[0005] Likewise, there is generally a need for methods of treatment
of diseases and disorders that are caused by the accumulation of
abnormal protein structures and peptide aggregation, in particular
neurodegenerative diseases and also peripheral amyloidosis caused
by abnormal protein aggregation, the so-called "protein aggregation
disorders".
[0006] There is also a need for methods of treatment using
compounds that are therapeutically effective in the mentioned
disorders, substantially devoid of side effects, and which
advantageously have already been proven in clinical tests for other
medical indications.
[0007] As an example, current treatments of Alzheimer's disease
with acetylcholine inhibitors rely on the replacement of
acetylcholine, a memory-related neurotransmitter that decreases as
a result of neurodegeneration. It is therefore a symptomatic
treatment with no direct effect on the beta-amyloid deposition or
the formation of neurofibrillary tangles. Acetylcholine esterase
inhibitors can ameliorate the symptoms of dementia in some, but not
all, patients for a limited amount of time. They are not considered
a cure for Alzheimer's disease. Likewise, other currently used
therapeutics including NMDA antagonists show some degree of
efficacy in a subset of patients, but they do not affect the
underlying pathology of Alzheimer's disease. Even though these
symptomatic treatments can temporarily slow disease progression in
some patients with Alzheimer's disease, causal treatments targeting
the underlying beta-amyloid pathology are unavailable and urgently
needed. Immunotherapy is among the most promising amyloid-lowering
causal treatment approaches, but initial clinical vaccination
trials were halted by subacute aseptic meningoencephalitis in 6% of
the actively vaccinated patients (Orgogozo et al., Neurology 2003).
Likewise, passive immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies
developed in mice can produce brain hemorrhages resulting in
significant safety problems (Pfeifer et al., Science 2002). The
development of safe and tolerable immunotherapy against
beta-amyloid would thus be a major breakthrough in the future
treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Initial signs for clinical
efficacy of active vaccination were observed in follow-up studies
of vaccinated patients (Hock et al., 2003). In analogy
immunotherapy against pathological protein aggregates in other
protein aggregation diseases including tauopathies, Parkinson's
disease and Huntington's disease may be similarly safe and
effective.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] Object of the present invention is a method for inducing in
a subject diagnostically and in particularly therapeutically useful
binding molecules, in particular antibodies that are directed
against pathologic variants and/or aggregation of endogenous
proteins. The invention described here is based upon the unexpected
observation that TLR agonists including, without limitation, CpG
can intensify naturally occurring immune responses directed against
endogenous pathological protein aggregates. In accordance with the
present invention it is expected that stimulation of primed B
lymphocytes with TLR agonists favors selective antibody responses
against pathological protein aggregates over the normally occurring
forms of precursor proteins. As a result, TLR agonists can
intensify and sustain a naturally occurring but therapeutically
ineffective immune response against pathological protein aggregates
in a subject, which may be particular beneficial for the treatment
of aged patients with compromised immune functions. In another
embodiment, this approach will also be useful for disease
prevention in healthy subjects with pre-clinical deposits of
pathological protein aggregates.
[0009] The present invention relates to the use of an
immunostimulant of the innate or adaptive immune system for the
preparation of a pharmaceutical composition for the treatment,
diagnosis, or prevention of disorders characterized by the
deposition, in affected tissues, of pathological protein aggregates
of endogenous or exogenous origin in human subjects or animals.
Pathological aggregates typically contain neo-epitopes that are
absent from the physiologically occurring form of the respective
proteins, formed by misfolding, abnormal aggregation, often
accompanied by dramatically reduced solubility due to
pathologically altered three dimensional structure. In many cases,
structural alternations are accompanied by increased half-life of
the abnormal protein aggregate due to the inability of the
physiological degradation machinery or proteases to degrade the
aggregated material, accumulation in the affected tissue,
association with many other proteins that adhere to the abnormal
protein aggregate, loss of physiological functions of the cognate
protein, or gain of toxic functions of the pathologic protein
structure. Neo-epitopes shall mean epitopes that have escaped
tolerance because of their abnormal structures, or recognizable by
the immune system to be defined e.g. via specific reaction with a
respective antibody that binds to the pathological protein
aggregate, e.g. via recognition of its neo-epitopes.
[0010] More specifically, the present invention relates to the use
of an immunostimulant of the innate or adaptive immune system for
the preparation of a pharmaceutical composition for the treatment
of a subject suffering from a disorder characterized by the
presence of a pathological neo-epitope, in particular a
pathological neo-epitope of at least one type of
amyloidosis-creating fibrillar or plaque like form of
protein/protein or protein/peptide or peptide/peptide
aggregates.
[0011] The present invention is based on the novel and surprising
finding that by enhancing or sustaining an antibody response
against at least one endogenous protein by the sole administration
of an immunostimulant without co-administration of exogenous
immunogen Alzheimer's disease simulated in mouse model system can
successfully enhance a selective antibody response for treatment,
whereby such antibody response is predominantly directed against
neo-epitopes present on pathogenic forms of said protein or protein
complex. In this context, the immunostimulant may also be
administered ex vivo to antigen-selected peripheral blood
lymphocytes which can subsequently be re-grafted into the cognate
donor and exert beneficial therapeutic effects.
[0012] The present invention relates to known classes of
immunostimulants, particularly nucleic acids and derivatives
thereof as well as low molecular weight agonists of the
TOLL-like-receptor family (TLR), to enhance the innate or adaptive
immune status of different effector functions and boost preexisting
B-memory cells or B-cells to produce respective autoantibodies
directed against pathological conformations of said proteins that
are generated by way of example by misfolding, oligomerization,
aggregation or complex formation of said proteins or, in a related
application enhance the general immune systems effector functions
if in a passive immunization such antibody or mixture of antibodies
get co-administered, or in a related application enhance effector
functions and efficiency of auto-vaccination against endogenous
self-antigens with pathological conformations in aged subjects with
compromised immune response, or in a related application, to
stimulate TLR functions in peripheral blood lymphocytes ex vivo.
Such amyloidoses primarily being associated with diseases such as
neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer Disease, Down's
syndrome, cerebral amyloid angiopathy, mixed dementia, or inclusion
body myositis, glaucoma, or arteriosclerosis associated
amyloidoses, or other forms of amyloidoses comprising fibrillaric
proteins derived from at least one of the following precursor
proteins SAA (Serum-Amyloid-Protein A), AL (k or 1-light chains of
Immunoglobulins), AH (g1 Ig-heavy chains), ATTR (Transthyretin,
Serum-Prealbumin), AApo-A-1 (Apolipoprotein A1), AApoA2
(Apolipoprotein A2), AGel (Gelsolin), ACys (Cystatin C), ALys
(Lysozyme), AFib (Fibrinogen), Beta-amyloid (Amyloid precursor
protein), Beta-amyloid2M (beta2-microglobulin), APrP (Prion
protein), ACal (Procalcitonin), AIAPP (islet amyloid polypeptide);
APro (Prolactin), AIns (Insulin); AMed (Lactadherin); Aker
(Kerato-epithelin); ALac (Lactoferrin), Abri (AbriPP), ADan
(ADanPP); or AANP (Atrial natriuretical peptide), or
neurodegenerative diseases characterized by the deposition of
abnormally aggregated forms of endogenous proteins including but
not limited to beta-amyloid in Alzheimer's disease, Down's
syndrome, cerebral amyloid angiopathy, hereditary cerebral
hemorrhage with amyloidosis Dutch type and Icelandic type
alpha-synuclein in Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease,
dementia with lewy body, multiple system atrophy; Prion protein in
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and related prion diseases, Huntingtin in
Huntington's disease, tau or other neurofibrillary tangle-related
proteins in tauopathies including progressive supranuclear palsy
(PSP), cortico-basal degeneration (CBD), agyrophilic grain disease
(AGD), fronto-temporal dementia (FTD), frontotemporal dementia with
Parkinsonism (FTDP17), Pick bodies in Pick's disease, ataxin in
Spinocerebellar ataxia, copper/zinc super oxide dismutase in
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and TDP-43 in frontotemporal lobar
degeneration and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In another
embodiment, the stimulated immune response may also be directed
against amyloid-associated proteins.
[0013] The therapeutic use of such immunostimulants in patients
suffering from at least one of the above mentioned diseases to
reverse, stabilize or prevent the development of such diseases is
directed to boost the native immune response mediated to a large
extent by B-cells and supported by T-cells whereby those B-cells
will be activated which's surface bound immunoglobulins recognize
neo-epitopes of disease-associated proteins detectable in abnormal
conformation or deposits of amyloid or other abnormal protein
aggregates composed of pathologic assemblies of monomeric
constituents. Such monomeric constituents are derived or processed
from native endogenous proteins and are prevalent in the body of a
patient in a pathological variant form or associated in such
pathological deposits as plaque like clusters and/or differently
localized compared to their normal physiological subcellular
localization and environment.
[0014] In addition, the present invention relates to pharmaceutical
compositions comprising such immunostimulants alone or in
combination with binding entities, antibodies and mimics thereof,
and to methods of screening for novel binding entities, which may
or may not be antibodies, targets and drugs in the treatment of
various disorders, in particular neurological disorders such as
Alzheimer's disease and beta-amyloid pathology and amyloidoses and
protein aggregation diseases in general.
[0015] The present invention is also based upon the observation
that aging is associated with decreased immune surveillance
functions, while aging is the most important risk factor for the
deposition of pathologic protein aggregates including beta-amyloid.
Thus, the age-related increased in risk for amyloidosis could be
paralleled by an age-related decrease in the immune system's
capacity to detect, and remove such deposits. Stimulating the
immune system with methods described herein is expected to reduce
such age-related developments.
[0016] Unless otherwise stated, a term as used herein is given the
definition as provided in the Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry and
Molecular Biology, Oxford University Press, 1997, revised 2000 and
reprinted 2003, ISBN 0 19 850673 2. The term "pathological
neo-epitope" refers to an epitope characteristic for the status of
a disease or pathological phenotype; see also supra.
[0017] For the sake of clarity, and in case of ambiguity the
following definitions of terms apply:
[0018] Abeta=amyloid beta-peptide=the monomeric peptides (Abeta1-40
and Abeta 1-42 and additional minor forms).
[0019] Abeta oligomers=all soluble and insoluble oligomeric
assemblies of monomeric Abeta peptides.
[0020] Abeta fibrils=beta-amyloid fibrils=all fibrillar assemblies
of Abeta peptides, mostly insoluble.
[0021] beta-amyloid=large accumulations of Abeta fibrils and Abeta
oligomers in senile plaques and congophilic amyloid angiopathy.
[0022] APP=beta-amyloid precursor protein, precursor of all Abeta
peptides.
[0023] Senile plaques=contain insoluble beta-amyloid fibrils and
Abeta oligomers, Congo-red- and ThioS-positive, and TAPIR-positive,
i.e. as determined by the method of monitoring immunotherapy coined
tissue amyloid plaque immunoreactivity (TAPIR) assay as described
in international application WO2004/095031; see also infra.
[0024] Diffuse plaques=contain soluble Abeta and soluble Abeta
oligomers, no fibrils, Congo-red and Thio S negative, only
TAPIR-positive.
[0025] CAA=congophilic amyloid angiopathy=beta-amyloid fibrils
around blood vessels Congo-red- and ThioS-positive, and
TAPIR-positive.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0026] FIG. 1: Behavior of CpG-treated mice in the Y-maze. A.
Number of total arm entries. B. Alternations as percentage of total
arm entries. Treatment with either 10 or 50 .mu.g of CpG resulted
in an increased number of arm entries as well as percent
alternation in APPsweArc transgenic mice indicating improved
exploratory activity and working memory upon treatment with CpG
[0027] FIG. 2: Average time(A) and errors (B) to reach the platform
of block 3-5 of day 4. CpG treatment of APPsweArc is associated
with a trend for a dose-dependent improvement in learning
performance.
[0028] FIG. 3: Total A.beta. plaque load (Zymed pan-A.beta.) and
compact congophilic amyloid deposits (Congo Red) in cortex and
hippocampus (HC) of APPsweArc mice. Reduced levels of total and
compact A.beta. plaque pathology were observed upon chronic
treatment with 10 .mu.g or 50 .mu.g of CpG compared to the PBS
control animals.
[0029] FIG. 4: Levels of soluble brain A.beta.40 and A.beta.42 in
PBS and TritonX-100 brain extracts. Both CpG-treatment regimens
decrease the brain levels of A.beta.40 and A.beta.42. Levels of
TritonX-100 A.beta.42 were below the detection limit of the ELISA
and were therefore not analyzed.
[0030] FIG. 5: Levels of insoluble brain A.beta.40 and A.beta.42 in
Guanidine brain extracts. Both CpG treatment regimens decrease the
brain levels of insoluble A.beta. compared to the control group
(PBS) by up to 50%.
[0031] FIG. 6: Terminal bleed A.beta.40 and A.beta.42 binding
antibody levels are increased in APPsweArc mice upon CpG
treatment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
[0032] In one aspect the present invention relates to a method for
enhancing a natural occurring immune response directed against
pathological conformations of endogenous proteins that are
generated by way of example by protein misfolding, oligomerization,
aggregation, complex formation or the formation of plaque,
fibrillar or inclusion body structures as is observed in various
types of amyloidoses and neurodegenerative diseases. In particular,
the present invention relates to the use of an immunostimulant of
the innate or adaptive immune system for the preparation of a
pharmaceutical composition for the treatment of a subject suffering
from a disorder characterized by the presence of a pathological
neo-epitope of at least one type of amyloidosis-creating fibrillar
or plaque like form of protein/protein or protein/peptide or
peptide/peptide aggregates.
[0033] Put in other words, but without intending to be bound by
theory, the therapeutic approach present invention may be
characterized to induce autoantibodies which specifically recognize
amyloidosis associated fibrillar or plaque like forms of
protein/protein, protein/peptide or peptide/peptide aggregates and
structures, respectively.
[0034] In this respect, one surprising finding in accordance with
the present invention is that the compounds to be used for novel
therapeutic approach are capable of inducing a rather specific
antibody response while not leading to an overactive immune system
which could harm the body and result in an autoimmune disease such
as Lupus erythematosus. Moreover, since many of the compounds such
as CpG and the like intended for the pharmaceutical compositions of
the present invention have already been tested in clinical trials
and turned to be safe, there is even proof that side effects may
not be expected and thus the therapeutic approach of the present
invention can be clinically tested as soon as possible. In this
context it is to be understood that the treatment regimen and
dosage for the therapeutic approach of the present invention may
substantially follow those described for CpG and the like compounds
in the treatment of protein aggregation diseases and amyloidoses
including, without limitation, Alzheimer's disease, Down's
syndrome, cerebral amyloid angiopathy, hereditary cerebral
hemorrhage with amyloidosis Dutch type and Icelandic type, mixed
dementia, dementia with lewy body, multiple system atrophy;
inclusion body myositis, glaucoma, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,
Spinocerebellar ataxia, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease,
dementia with Lewy bodies, Tauopathies including progressive
supranuclear palsy (PSP), cortico-basal degeneration (CBD),
agyrophilic grain disease (AGD), fronto-temporal dementia (FTD,
frontotemporal dementia with Parkinsonism (FTDP17), frontotemporal
lobar degeneration, Creutzfeldt-Jakob and related prion diseases,
Morbus Pick, familial amyloid polyneuropathy and amyloidoses
comprising fibrillaric proteins derived from at least one of the
following precursor proteins: Tau, alpha-synuclein, huntingtin,
ataxin, superoxide dismutase, TDP-43, SAA (Serum-Amyloid-Protein
A), AL (k or 1-light chains of Immunoglobulins), AH (g1 Ig-heavy
chains), ATTR (Transthyretin, Serum-Prealbumin), AApo-A-1
(Apolipoprotein A1), AApoA2 (Apolipoprotein A2), AGel (Gelsolin),
ACys (Cystatin C), ALys (Lysozyme), AFib (Fibrinogen), Beta-amyloid
(Amyloid precursor protein), Beta-amyloid2M (beta2-microglobulin),
APrP (Prion protein), ACal (Procalcitonin), AIAPP (islet amyloid
polypeptide); APro (Prolactin), AIns (Insulin); AMed (Lactadherin);
Aker (Kerato-epithelin); ALac (Lactoferrin), Abri (AbriPP), ADan
(ADanPP); or AANP (Atrial natriuretical peptide); for review see,
e.g., Skovronsky at al., Annu. Rev. Pathol. Mech. Dis. 1 (2006),
151-70 and Buxbaum, Curr. Opin. Rheumatol. 16 (2003), 67-75.
[0035] It has been shown by various authors that antibodies or the
existence of antibodies against beta-amyloid-related proteins can
be detected in elderly subjects as well as in patients with
Alzheimer's disease which might be related to a slower progression
of Alzheimer's Disease in such patients (see also Brettschneider et
al., Biol. Psychiatry 57 (2005), 813; Moir et al., J Biol Chem 280
(2005), 17458-17463; Song et al., J. Int. Med. Res. 35 (2007),
301-306). Inasmuch as such endogenously occurring antibodies have
the ability to penetrate into the brain over the blood brain
barrier, and inasmuch as such antibodies are active in removing
abnormal and pathologic protein aggregates, including but not
limited to beta-amyloid from brain, such antibodies might be
related to endogenous prevention or to slower progression rates of
Alzheimer's disease in such subjects. It could also be demonstrated
that antibodies cloned from human patients as well as antibodies
generated in vitro or in mouse model systems, as well as human
beta-amyloid antibodies present in commercial IVIg preparations
(Weksler et al., Cornell University) are able to lower the amyloid
plaque load in mouse model systems generating human-like
beta-amyloid plaque structures from human disease-causing mutants
of the beta-amyloid precursor protein. Various strategies are
currently under clinical and preclinical investigation to determine
the pharmacological usefulness of such kind of antibodies given as
passive immunization in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
Strategies of active immunization have failed so far as the immune
system generates a number of antibodies and T-cell responses
against different epitopes, some of them of potentially beneficial
value, others with potentially detrimental effects by even
enhancing the amyloid plaque load or the re-deposition of amyloid
from neuropil as plaques to blood vessels, or by inducing subacute
aseptic meningoencephalitis and related forms of auto-immunity.
Another inherent risk associated with active immunization is the
generation of antibodies directed against endogenous self-epitopes
present on physiologically occurring epitopes present in linear or
structural epitopes of monomeric Abeta peptides or aggregated
structures thus leading to antibodies cross-reacting with natively
processed forms of physiological amyloid precursor protein (APP)
derivatives including Abeta, and potentially leading to an
autoimmune disease of yet unknown nature.
[0036] Hence, the therapeutic approach of the present invention is
particular advantageous in the treatment of elderly subjects since
many patients of advanced age suffer from a disease because of an
insufficient immune response to the disease causing agent. In
accordance with the present invention, an appropriate immune
response against a pathological protein/peptide and protein/peptide
structure can be induced and/or boosted so as to bringing the
patient to a state of being capable of combating those pathological
neo-epitope containing agents like younger people can do.
[0037] The status of the immune system in elderly patients is known
to functionally decline both in its capability to generate,
optimize and produce relevant antibodies and to support the
antibody-mediated functions such as effector functions which very
much depend on the integrity of the innate or adaptive immune
response. It would be desirable to selectively raise an autoimmune
response against such neo-epitopes but avoiding a major autoimmune
response against physiological, functionally relevant, epitopes
such as, for example, physiologically generated derivatives of APP,
including Abeta. It would also be beneficial to enhance a basic but
inefficient preexisting immune response via immunoglobulins
selectively directed against neo-epitopes of such mentioned
structures present in abnormal, pathologic, protein aggregates
including but not limited to amyloid-fibrillary structures,
inclusion bodies in both elderly and young patients, as well as, in
a preventive application, in healthy subjects who are at risk of
developing a protein aggregation disorder later in life. It would
be also beneficial, too, if such antibody or a combination of
antibodies applied as a drug could be functionally enhanced, and it
would be beneficial, if antigen-specific B cells would be activated
to differentiate into IgG-producing plasma cells.
[0038] Hence, one further advantage of the therapeutic approach of
the present invention is that concomitant administration or
vaccination is not required because the induction of the
endogenously primed immune system is targeted. Therefore, in one
embodiment of the present invention the pharmaceutical composition
employed does not comprise an antigen having said pathological
neo-epitope. Likewise, in addition or alternatively, the
pharmaceutical composition in the use of the present invention is
designed to be administered to a subject who has not been
vaccinated with an antigen having said pathological neo-epitope.
Such co-administration might even be prone to risk as Lee et al.
(Ann. Neurol. 58 (2005), 430-435) have observed that antibodies
might preferentially be triggered to non-conformational epitopes,
potentially present on physiologically processed proteins or
peptides.
[0039] Disorders amenable to the therapeutic approach of the
present invention can preferably be diagnosed by applying the TAPIR
assay, i.e. the method of monitoring immunotherapy as described in
international application WO2004/095031 on various specimens of
amyloidic tissue out of the group of amyloidoses such as Alzheimer
Disease, Morbus Pick, Down's syndrome, cerebral amyloid angiopathy,
mixed dementia, inclusion body myositis, glaucoma or
Arteriosclerosis associated Amyloidoses, or neurodegenerative
diseases characterized by the deposition of abnormally aggregated
forms of endogenous proteins including but not limited to
beta-amyloid in Alzheimer's disease, Down's syndrome, cerebral
amyloid angiopathy, hereditary cerebral hemorrhage with amyloidosis
Dutch type and Icelandic type, alpha-synuclein in Parkinson's
disease, Alzheimer's disease, dementia with lewy body, multiple
system atrophy; Prion protein in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and
related prion diseases, Huntingtin in Huntington's disease, tau or
neurofibrillar-tangle associated proteins in Tauopathies including
progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), cortico-basal degeneration
(CBD), agyrophilic grain disease (AGD), fronto-temporal dementia
(FTD, fronto-temporal dementia with Parkinsonism (FTDP17),
Alzheimer's disease Picks disease; ataxin in Spinocerebellar ataxia
and copper/zinc super oxide dismutase in Amyotrophic lateral
sclerosis and TDP-43 in frontotemporal lobar degeneration and
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In another embodiment, the
stimulated immune response may also be directed against
amyloid-associated proteins or other forms of Amyloidoses
comprising fibrillaric proteins derived from at least one of the
following precursor proteins SAA (Serum-Amyloid-Protein A), AL (k
or 1-light chains of Immunoglobulins), AH (g1 Ig-heavy chains),
ATTR (Transthyretin, Serum-Prealbumin), AApo-A-1 (Apolipoprotein
A1), AApoA2 (Apolipoprotein A2), AGel (Gelsolin), ACys (Cystatin
C), ALys (Lysozyme), AFib (Fibrinogen), Beta-amyloid (Amyloid
precursor protein), Beta-amyloid2M (beta2-microglobulin), APrP
(Prion protein), ACal (Procalcitonin), AIAPP (islet amyloid
polypeptide); APro (Prolactin), AIns (Insulin); AMed (Lactadherin);
Aker (Kerato-epithelin); ALac (Lactoferrin), Abri (AbriPP), ADan
(ADanPP); or AANP (Atrial natriuretical peptide) have demonstrated
to be associated with the presence of antibodies against respective
protein aggregates structures in a variety of patients.
[0040] In some disorders to be treated in accordance with the
present invention said neo-epitope comprises or consists of a
conformational epitope formed after upon oligomerization or fiber
formation or an epitope formed by one of the fibril forming
peptides associated with at least one different peptide or
molecular entity in a heteromeric complex. Disorders commonly
associated and/or caused by such oligomerization include but are
not limited to Alzheimer Disease, amyloid deposition associated
with aging, mild cognitive impairment, Down's syndrome, cerebral
amyloid angiopathy, mixed dementia, inclusion body myositis,
glaucoma, Morbus Pick, arteriosclerosis, Parkinson's disease,
multiple system atrophy, corticobasal degeneration, frontotemporal
lobar degeneration, Huntington's disease, tauopathy, and Pick's
disease, head trauma, dementia pugilistica, chronic traumatic
encephalopathy, cerebral amyloid angiopathy, Creutzfeldt-Jakob
disease, cystic fibrosis, or Gaucher's disease.
[0041] As could be demonstrated in the appended examples
administering the immunostimulant CpG to mice displaying severe
symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and in particular amyloidosis
resulted in amelioration of A.beta. plaque load and improved
behavior of the animals. Thus, CpG therapy seems to be of
particular advantage for the treatment of patients suffering from
an advanced progression of the disorder. Accordingly, in one
embodiment of the present invention the immunostimulant is designed
to be administered after the onset of the disorder at a clinical
stage, preferably to a subject characterized by amyloid plaque load
in the brain and showing classical symptoms of Alzheimer's disease
such as impaired memory.
[0042] On the other hand, without intending to be bound by theory
it is believed that an immune response in a subject present at an
early stage of the development of the disorder may help to overcome
the disorder, slow its progression and/or prevent the development
of severe symptoms of the disease. Hence, in the experiments
performed in accordance with the present invention it could be
shown that the level of autoantibodies strongly increases after CpG
treatment. Thus, early therapeutic intervention with CpG also holds
great promise as a preventive treatment of for example Alzheimer's
disease. Accordingly, in another embodiment of the present
invention the immunostimulant is designed to be administered at a
subclinical stage of the disorder, e.g. amyloidosis, in particular
brain amyloidosis in non-demented individuals.
[0043] In accordance with the present invention and deduced from
the experimental considerations below the immunostimulant to be
used for inducing the innate or adaptive immune system of a subject
is a TOLL-like-receptor agonist. Without intending to be bound by
theory it is believed that stimulants of the innate or adaptive
immune system such as CpGs or stabilized immune modulatory RNA
(SIMRA) compounds agonistically interacting with at least one of
the three TOLL-like receptors TLR7, TLR8 or TLR9, as described in
Davis et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,406,705 and in Tao et al., PNAS USA
104 (2007), 13750-13755, might have the potential of stimulating
residual respective B-cells in order to stimulate the generation of
respective antibodies to address such pathological protein epitopes
or plaque structures with the consequence of lowering the
concentration of such pathologically altered proteins or protein
aggregates or plaques in a patient as a causal therapy or to
activate antigen-selected B-cells ex vivo, that subsequently
differentiate into IgG-secreting plasma cells upon re-grafting into
the cognate donor. Unmethylated CpG motifs as well as SIMRA seem to
be native potent activators of the innate or adaptive immune system
associated with the recognition of, and defense against, general
microbial or viral infections. The invention refers to
auto-vaccination against neo-epitopes, however, without
administering a compound which contains such said neo-epitope,
however, in a preferred application to be combined with a mAb
directed against such neo-epitope, and, in a related application
the ex-vivo use of said immunostimulants in antigen-selected
lymphocytes.
[0044] CpG motifs able to agonistically interact with TOLL-like
receptors TLR 9 receptor are known to enhance the activation status
of the innate or adaptive immune system (Lanzavecchia and Sallusto,
Curr. Opin. Immunol. 19 (2007), 268-274), and SIMRA compounds
stimulate TLR-7, -8 and TLR 8 (Tao et al., 2007, supra). Any such
activity, however, is absolutely contraindicative in cases of
autoimmune diseases such as Lupus erythematosus, which might be
successfully addressed by administration of inhibitors of such
TOLL-like receptors TLR-7, -8 or TLR-9. With antibodies reactive
against endogenously occurring beta-amyloid-plaques or oligomeric
or aggregated Abeta peptides identified in patients with
Alzheimer's disease, it may seem that such patients have the status
of a protective autoimmune reaction. Naturally occurring antibodies
directed against a naturally occurring protein structure could have
undesired effects as such APP-derived proteins and peptides are
expressed in different tissues and have widely unknown
functionality. Any stimulation of TLR-7 or TLR-9 could have
negative consequences if such respective B-memory cells would be
positively triggered to proliferate and to produce antibodies. In
particular, antibodies generated against Abeta-peptides by applying
such peptides as vaccines seem to predominantly react with linear
epitopes of such peptides (Lee et al., 2005 Ann. Neurol. 58 (2005),
430-435). If such naturally occurring antibodies or antibody
producing B-cells, respectively, would be enhanced in their
activity, a non-desired autoimmune response against natively
processed APP derivatives including Abeta is expected to be
induced. This autoimmune phenomenon not being a major issue in
human patients anyway might relate to the status in elderly
patients with an immune system of just 10 to 20% of its normal
activity in young patients. Because the structural neo-epitopes
generated during pathologic aggregation of the physiologically
occurring APP derivatives or Abeta peptides, however, such response
may also be seen as an immune response directed against an
endogenously generated pathological structure, resulting in a
preventive--or therapeutic--neutralization or removal of such
pathological structures. Naturally occurring antibodies are
directed against a naturally occurring, but pathological protein
structure.
[0045] In view of the above considerations, in one preferred
embodiment the present invention relates to the use of an
immunostimulant comprising at least one oligonucleotide or modified
oligonucleotide containing at least one unmethylated CpG
dinucleotide motif for the treatment of a subject suffering from a
disorder characterized by the presence of a pathological
neo-epitope or protein aggregate as defined above.
[0046] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the pharmaceutical
composition prepared in accordance with the present invention
comprises or is designed to be applied in combination with at least
one binding molecule directed against at least said one
neo-epitope, preferably wherein said binding molecule is an
antibody, typically of the IgG type, preferentially a human
IgG.
[0047] Such endogenous proteins providing neo-epitopes/aggregates
belonging to Alzheimer Disease, amyloid deposition associated with
aging, mild cognitive impairment, head trauma, dementia
pugilistica, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, Morbus Pick, Down's
syndrome, cerebral amyloid angiopathy, mixed dementia, inclusion
body myositis, glaucoma or Arteriosklerosis associated Amyloidoses,
or neurodegenerative diseases characterized by the deposition of
abnormally aggregated forms of endogenous proteins including but
not limited to beta-amyloid in Alzheimer's disease, amyloid
deposition associated with aging, mild cognitive impairment, Down's
syndrome, cerebral amyloid angiopathy, hereditary cerebral
hemorrhage with amyloidosis Dutch type and Icelandic type,
alpha-synuclein in Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease,
dementia with lewy body, multiple system atrophy; Prion protein in
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and related prion diseases, Huntingtin in
Huntington's disease, tau or neurofibrillar-tangle associated
proteins in Tauopathies including progressive supranuclear palsy
(PSP), cortico-basal degeneration (CBD), agyrophilic grain disease
(AGD), fronto-temporal dementia (FTD, fronto-temporal dementia with
Parkinsonism (FTDP17), Picks disease; ataxin in Spinocerebellar
ataxia copper/zinc super oxide dismutase in Amyotrophic lateral
sclerosis and TDP-43 in frontotemporal lobar degeneration and
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In another embodiment, the
stimulated immune response may also be directed against
amyloid-associated proteins, or other forms of amyloidoses
comprising at least one of the following precursor proteins SAA
(Serum-Amyloid-Protein A), AL (k or 1-light chains of
Immunoglobulins), AH (g1 Ig-heavy chains), ATTR (Transthyretin,
Serum-Prealbumin), AApo-A-1 (Apolipoprotein A1), AApoA2
(Apolipoprotein A2), AGel (Gelsolin), ACys (Cystatin C), ALys
(Lysozyme), AFib (Fibrinogen), Beta-amyloid (Amyloid precursor
protein), Beta-amyloid2M (beta2-microglobulin), APrP (Prion
protein), ACal (Procalcitonin), AIAPP (islet amyloid polypeptide);
APro (Prolactin), AIns (Insulin); AMed (Lactadherin); Aker
(Kerato-epithelin); ALac (Lactoferrin), Abri (AbriPP), ADan
(ADanPP); or AANP (Atrial natriuretical peptide). Such human
antibodies can be applied to treat patients suffering from
amyloidoses in order to either complement a non-functioning human
immune response or to strengthen and complementary support a
non-sufficient immune response alone or in combination with
different antibodies.
[0048] In a further embodiment of the present invention, such
antibodies can also be applied in combination with immunostimulants
such as CpG as agonist of at least TOLL-like 9 receptor and
derivatives as described by, e.g., Krieg et al. in US patent
application publication no 2007/0066554 and Davis et al. in U.S.
Pat. No. 6,406,705. Instead of CpG type immunostimulants other
immunostimulants can be applied as well as long as they
agonistically interfere with the binding to at least TOLL-like 9
receptor.
[0049] As at least one type of immunostimulant of the innate or
adaptive immune system in elderly patients in clinical trials
against Non Small Cell Lung Carcinoma (NSCLC) suffering from at
least one form of amyloidosis oligonucleotides have been applied
comprising at least one non-methylated CpG-motif, such as Coley
Pharmaceutical's ProMune.TM. which is CPG 7909, a B-Class CpG ODN.
Hence, a large class of CpG compounds is available from/described
in patent applications by Coley Pharmaceuticals, thus a collection
from which alternative oligonucleotides can be applied with similar
results in order to enhance the adaptive immune response against
neo-epitopes of at least one type of amyloidosis-creating fibrillar
form of protein plaques or to support the function of antibodies
directed against such neo-epitopes. The quantity and quality of
antibody response enhanced by administering at least one type of
said oligonucleotide comprising at least one non-methylated CpG
motif was measured by means of the TAPIR-assay. As described, the
TAPIR assay makes use of the presence of pathogenic forms of such
protein clusters providing such neo-eptitopes for antibody
binding.
[0050] By staining such bound human antibody, such as IgG, by e.g.
fluorescently labeled anti-human IgG such antibodies can be
visualized and semi-quantitatively differentiated from stainings of
samples derived from mice not treated with CpG-motif type
oligonucleotides in respective formulations. According to the
present invention alternative immunostimulants alone or in
combination can be applied whereas at least one of such active
compounds belongs to the group of TOLL-like receptor agonists of at
least one of the receptor subtypes such as TOLL-like receptor-9
(TLR-9).
[0051] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
pharmaceutical composition to be used comprises at least one
non-nucleic acid adjuvant capable of creating a depo effect.
Typically, at least one type of immunostimulant of the innate or
adaptive immune system is applied together with an adjuvant of at
least one ingredient as described by Krieg et al. in US patent
application publication no 2007/0066554 and Davis et al. in U.S.
Pat. No. 6,406,705, whereby the at least one immunostimulant
comprises at least one non-nucleic acid adjuvant that creates a
depo effect. In one embodiment the adjuvant is selected from the
group consisting of alum, emulsion based formulations, mineral oil,
non-mineral oil, water-in-oil emulsions, water-in-oil-in-water
emulsions, Seppic ISA series of Montanide adjuvants, MF-59, and
PROVAX. Preferably, the adjuvant comprises an immune stimulating
adjuvant. A particular effective combination in the inventive
procedure is the combination of CpG motifs with Vitamin A to drive
memory B cells into Ig-secreting plasma cells (see Ertesvag et al.
Blood 109 (2007), 3865-3878) at serum concentrations between 1 nM
to 100 nM.
[0052] Preferably, administration of CpG-type reagents are
co-administered with an adjuvant that creates a depo effect such
adjuvant being selected from the group consisting of alum, emulsion
based formulations, mineral oil, non-mineral oil, water-in-oil
emulsions, water-in-oil-in-water emulsions, Seppic ISA series of
Montanide adjuvants; MF-59; or PROVAX. As an adjuvant we typically
administer a non-nucleic acid adjuvant which is selected from the
group consisting of saponins, PCPP polymer; derivatives of
lipopolysaccharides, MPL, MDP, t-MDP, OM-174 and Leishmania
elongation factor.
[0053] In addition, or alternatively, agents are preferably used
which create both, a depo effect and an unspecific stimulation of
the immune system at the same time. Such group of compounds
consists of ISCOMS or SB-AS2 or AS2 or SB-AS4 or non-ionic block
copolymers and SAF. The composition of the therapeutically applied
mix of components might also include an antigen that is selected
from the group of amyloid forming peptides. In a particular
application such antigens are offered as preformed aggregates
providing said conformational binding sites as neo-epitopes. Such
reagents seem to help booster preexisting memory B cells or
respective plasma cells to be either stimulated for replication or
for further maturation or class switches of respective antibodies
recognizing such neo-epitopes. Hence, in some embodiments of the
present invention it may be preferred include into the
pharmaceutical composition an antigen having a neo-epitope as
defined for any disease hereinabove.
[0054] In a further aspect of the present invention, such
immunostimulant treated patients can be seen as a potent source of
antibodies and their coding cDNAs directed against such
neo-epitopes, mediated by B-cell cloning as described in Bernasconi
et al. (2002) or in particular in international application
WO2008/081008, the disclosure content of which is incorporated
herein by reference, including the identification and cloning of
respective IgG coding sequences, their isolation, and use to
construct expression vectors for the production of respective
antibodies, in particular of IgG of various subtypes -1, 2, -3, or
-4, validating and producing diagnostically and therapeutically
useful binding molecules, in particular antibodies that are
directed against pathologic variants of endogenous proteins with
their neo-epitopes.
[0055] As mentioned and described in the examples in accordance
with the present it turned out that antibodies effective to
counteract progressive amyloidoses typically react with
neo-epitopes of plaque structures instead of reacting with
precursor forms of monomeric proteins as physiologically processed
entities. The TAPIR assay described in international application
WO2004/095031 allows selectively differentiating between both such
types of antibodies according to selective staining of such
polymeric pathological structures as specific structural entities
not detectable in sections of specimen from healthy regions. Such
neo-epitopes seem to preferentially represent conformational
epitopes which just form upon polymerization of fiber structures
alone or in close association with other molecular entities.
[0056] In particular, as a novel observation, mice with heavily
loaded plaques of beta-amyloid-fibers in respective brain regions
as described in Knobloch et al., Neurobiol. Aging July 28 (2006)
show substantial decreases of plaque load comparing CpG-treated
mice and non-CpG-treated mice obviously mediated or associated with
the appearance of neo-epitope recognizing antibodies or their
enhanced effective concentration at the site of action. Without
intending to be bound by theory it is believed that in accordance
with the present invention CpG assists in or mediates the
activation of B-cells or B-memory cells, in respect to amyloidoses
B-cells primarily reacting to neo-epitopes of such polymeric
structures and to not significantly cause an autoimmune response
against non-neo-epitopes. However, the Co-administration of
TOLL-like-receptor agonists with an active immunization approach
might be contraindicative for the therapeutic treatment of human
patients as it is known that such vaccination might lead to
antibodies recognizing linear epitopes as also being part of
natively processed proteins (Lee et al., 2005, supra). The
surprising finding of the novel therapeutic approach of the present
invention is the successful treatment of e.g. Alzheimer's disease
with the characteristic of also belonging to the group of
protective autoimmune diseases as creating an antibody response
against at least one of a patient's own protein by at least one
immunostimulant whereby such patient own antibodies are
predominantly directed against neo-epitopes expressed on pathogenic
forms of said protein or protein complex.
[0057] A clonal or oligo-clonal in vivo expansion of such
therapeutically relevant type of B-cell or B-cells recognizing at
least one neo-epitope does not only contribute positively in terms
of a therapeutic effect in said patients treated but also provides
or facilitates the experimental basis to in vitro select such
B-cells from patient's blood samples, temporarily stabilize or
immortalize such B-cells, characterize their respective antibodies
identified, preferably by the TAPIR assay, see supra, and generate
a cDNA clone coding for such antibody, all such steps performed as
described in detail in international application WO2008/081008,
supra.
[0058] Hence, in a further aspect the present invention relates to
a method of producing a neo-epitope specific binding molecule as
defined above from a sample of a mammal, wherein prior to obtaining
the sample a pharmaceutical composition as hereinbefore has been
administered to the mammal. Said method preferably comprises
determining the binding of a binding molecule to a specimen
neo-epitope by an assay based on the detection of pathogenic forms
of plaques or fibrillar aggregates via recognition of said
pathological neo-epitope such as via the TAPIR assay or assays
derived thereof, and optionally isolating the binding molecule so
identified. In addition, the mammal used as the source for the
sample to be analyzed preferably has overcome a disorder or the
progression of said disorder. This is because in accordance with
the findings of the present invention it is prudent to expect that
such a mammal possesses B cells and memory B cells which are
capable of secreting antibodies which protect the mammal against
onset, progression or relapse of the disorder mediated by the
accumulation of oligomerized proteins and peptides,
respectively.
[0059] In a particular preferred embodiment of the present
invention said mammal has suffered from a neurodegenerative disease
in particular Alzheimer's disease. In addition, or alternatively,
said mammal may or may not have been treated in accordance with
therapeutic use and method of the present invention. In a
particular preferred embodiment the mammal is a human.
[0060] Typically, said sample comprises a body fluid or a cell
sample, e.g. urine, blood, lymph or cerebrospinal fluid or
subfractions thereof. As evident from the examples the binding
molecule is preferably an antibody and thus the sample will usually
comprise or consist of B-cells or memory B-cells, or cells derived
thereof.
[0061] In a further embodiment, the method of the present invention
further comprises the steps of [0062] (i) purifying B cells or B
memory cells from a sample which has been identified to contain
binding molecules, i.e. antibodies which bind to a neo-epitope
specimen but not or substantially less to a corresponding control
specimen without said neo-epitope; [0063] (ii) obtaining the
immunoglobulin gene repertoire for said antibodies from said B
cells or B memory cells; and [0064] (iii) using said repertoire to
express said antibodies, and optionally wherein step (ii) comprises
the steps of: [0065] (iv) obtaining mRNA from said B cells or
memory B cells; [0066] (v) obtaining cDNA from the mRNA of step
(iv); and [0067] (vi) using a primer extension reaction to amplify
from said cDNA the fragments corresponding to the heavy chains (HC)
and the kappa/lambda light chains (LC) of said antibodies.
[0068] As mentioned, methods of producing clones of an immortalized
human B cell and B memory lymphocyte, comprising the step of
transforming human B memory lymphocytes using Epstein Barr Virus
(EBV) in the presence of a polyclonal B cell activator are
summarized in international application WO2004/076677. This
international application also describes methods for obtaining a
nucleic acid sequence that encodes an antibody of interest,
comprising the steps of preparing an immortalized B cell clone and
obtaining/sequencing nucleic acid from the B cell clone that
encodes the antibody of interest and further inserting the nucleic
acid into or using the nucleic acid to prepare an expression host
that can express the antibody of interest, culturing or
sub-culturing the expression host under conditions where the
antibody of interest is expressed and, optionally, purifying the
antibody of interest. It goes without saying that the nucleic acid
may be manipulated in between to introduce restriction sites, to
change codon usage, and/or to add or optimize transcription and/or
translation regulatory sequences. All this techniques are state of
the art and can be performed by the person skilled in the art
without undue burden.
[0069] In this context, the present invention also relates to a
binding molecule obtainable by the method of the present invention
described herein, preferably which is capable of selectively
recognizing a neo-epitope of a disorder-associated protein or
peptide. Advantageously, the binding molecule of the present
invention does not substantially recognize said protein in its
non-disorder-associated form. Typically, the binding molecule is an
antibody or an antigen binding fragment thereof, most preferably it
is a human antibody.
[0070] Like in other immunoassays and therapeutic uses the binding
molecule can be detectably labeled, for example with a detectable
label selected from the group consisting of an enzyme, a
radioisotope, a fluorophore and a heavy metal. Alternatively, or in
addition the binding molecule may be attached to a drug.
[0071] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a composition
comprising the binding molecule identified and obtained in
accordance with the method of the present invention. In one
embodiment, the composition is a pharmaceutical composition and
further comprises a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
Preferably, the pharmaceutical composition is designed for the
treatment of Alzheimer's disease or amyloidosis, and optionally
further comprises an additional agent useful for treating
Alzheimer's disease, selected from the group consisting of small
organic molecules, anti-Beta-amyloid antibodies, and combinations
thereof.
[0072] According to this invention, such cloned antibodies directed
against at least one type of neo-epitope preferentially
characteristic for said amyloid plaque in at least one said type of
Amyloidosis or protein aggregation disorder, respective antibody
fragments or other kind of or modified form of antibody fragment
containing entities derived from such cloned antibody alone or in
combination with other biologically active compounds can be
co-administered with CpG-type compounds as agonists of at least TLR
9 receptor in order to successfully treat patients suffering from
such respective disease. Such antibodies can directly support via
effector functions respective T-cell activities or activities of
monocytic type of cells (e.g. dendritic cells or microglia cells),
primarily via induction Fc receptor mediated phagocytosis or ADCC
or CDC effector functions which seem to be needed to prevent or
reverse the formation of such amyloidic plaques. An alternative to
apply a TLR-9 agonist, other TLR-agonists might be applied as well
such as TLR-4 agonists or TLR-7 or TLR-8 agonists as described in
Davis et al. and Tao et al. cited hereinbefore.
[0073] In another embodiment of the present invention, the
stimulated immune response will be initiated by stimulating
antigen-selected peripheral blood lymphocytes ex vivo, and
subsequently re-graft the autologous activated B-cells into the
cognate donor. Thus, the present invention further relates to the
use of use of B-cells and memory B-cells, respectively, as defined
in and obtainable as an intermediate product from a patient in the
method of the present invention hereinbefore for use as an
autologous transplant in the preparation of a pharmaceutical
composition for the treatment of a disorder as defined herein,
wherein said B-cells being enriched by e.g. Leukapheresis and/or
sorted for binding to a neo-epitope of amyloid plaques or its
secreted product for binding to a neo-epitope as part of a plaque
or fibrillar structure of proteins or peptides, potentially
expanded and designed to be subsequently re-administered to said
patient together or without further application of an
immunostimulant.
[0074] Hence, the present invention generally relates to methods of
treating neurological disorders characterized by abnormal
accumulation and/or deposition of a protein/peptide in the central
nervous system, which method comprises administering to a subject
in need thereof a therapeutically effective amount of the
pharmaceutical composition or ex vivo stimulated B cells as
herein.
[0075] In this context, the general use of immunostimulants is
envisaged, in particular CpG-motifs, such as CpG 1826 as active
substance (see also Davis et al., J. Immunol. 160 (1998), 870-876;
Hartmann et al., J. Immunol. 164 (2000), 944-953; Hartmann et al.,
J. Immunol. 164 (2000), 1617-1624; and Davis et al., supra) in
order to treat patients of multiple types of amyloidoses as listed
above by stimulating a not yet detectable or already detectable
immune response selectively against neo-epitopes of otherwise
natively processed monomers of the patient affected by such type of
disease.
[0076] As mentioned, in an alternative embodiment such in vivo
animal model systems or human patients suffering from amyloidoses
might be treated with CpG in order to activate B-cell and B-memory
cells, to be cloned and tested for selectively interacting with
beta-amyloid-plaque structures and those reacting positively to be
re-transplanted as auto-transplant back to the patient.
[0077] However, the present invention is not limited to amyloidoses
or amyloidoses created by polymers derived from processed
beta-amyloid-monomeric peptides but also to amyloidoses associated
with Morbus Pick, Down's syndrome, amyloid deposition associated
with aging, mild cognitive impairment, head trauma, dementia
pugilistica, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, cystic fibrosis,
Gaucher's disease, cerebral amyloid angiopathy, mixed dementia,
inclusion body myositis, glaucoma or arteriosclerosis associated
amyloidoses, or neurodegenerative diseases characterized by the
deposition of abnormally aggregated forms of endogenous proteins
including but not limited to alpha-synuclein in Parkinson's
disease, Alzheimer's disease, dementia with lewy body, multiple
system atrophy; Prion protein in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and
related prion diseases, huntingtin in Huntington's disease, tau or
neurofibrillar-tangle associated proteins in Tauopathies including
progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), cortico-basal degeneration
(CBD), agyrophilic grain disease (AGD), fronto-temporal dementia
(FTD, frontotemporal dementia with Parkinsonism (FTDP17),
Alzheimer's disease Picks disease; ataxin in Spinocerebellar ataxia
copper/zinc super oxide dismutase in Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
and TDP-43 in Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration and Amyotrophic
Lateral Sclerosis. In another embodiment, the stimulated immune
response may also be directed against amyloid-associated proteins
(Liao et al., J. Biol. Chem. 2004), or other forms of amyloidoses
comprising fibrillar proteins derived from at least one of the
following precursor proteins SAA (Serum-Amyloid-Protein A), AL (k
or 1-light chains of Immunoglobulins), AH (g1 Ig-heavy chains),
ATTR (Transthyretin, Serum-Prealbumin), AApo-A-1 (Apolipoprotein
A1), AApoA2 (Apolipoprotein A2), AGel (Gelsolin), ACys (Cystatin
C), ALys (Lysozyme), AFib (Fibrinogen), Beta-amyloid (Amyloid
precursor protein), Beta-amyloid2M (beta2-microglobulin), APrP
(Prion protein), ACal (Procalcitonin), AIAPP (islet amyloid
polypeptide); APro (Prolactin), AIns (Insulin); AMed (Lactadherin);
Aker (Kerato-epithelin); ALac (Lactoferrin), Abri (AbriPP), ADan
(ADanPP); or AANP (Atrial natriuretical peptide),
[0078] In another embodiment the present invention relates to a
diagnostic composition comprising any one of the above described
binding molecules, antibodies, antigen-binding fragments,
polynucleotides, vectors or cells of the invention and optionally
suitable means for detection such as reagents conventionally used
in immuno or nucleic acid based diagnostic methods. The antibodies
of the invention are, for example, suited for use in immunoassays
in which they can be utilized in liquid phase or bound to a solid
phase carrier. Examples of immunoassays which can utilize the
antibody of the invention are competitive and non-competitive
immunoassays in either a direct or indirect format. Examples of
such immunoassays are the radioimmunoassay (RIA), the sandwich
(immunometric assay), flow cytometry and the Western blot assay.
The antigens and antibodies of the invention can be bound to many
different carriers and used to isolate cells specifically bound
thereto. Examples of well known carriers include glass,
polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, polyethylene,
polycarbonate, dextran, nylon, amyloses, natural and modified
celluloses, polyacrylamides, agaroses, and magnetite. The nature of
the carrier can be either soluble or insoluble for the purposes of
the invention. There are many different labels and methods of
labeling known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Examples of
the types of labels which can be used in the present invention
include enzymes, radioisotopes, colloidal metals, fluorescent
compounds, chemiluminescent compounds, and bioluminescent
compounds; see also the embodiments discussed hereinabove.
[0079] By a further embodiment, the binding molecules, in
particular antibodies of the present invention may also be used in
a method for the diagnosis of a disorder in an individual by
obtaining a body fluid sample from the tested individual which may
be a blood sample, a lymph sample or any other body fluid sample
and contacting the body fluid sample with an antibody of the
instant invention under conditions enabling the formation of
antibody-antigen complexes. The level of such complexes is then
determined by methods known in the art, a level significantly
higher than that formed in a control sample indicating the disease
in the tested individual. In the same manner, the specific antigen
bound by the antibodies of the invention may also be used. Thus,
the present invention relates to an in vitro immunoassay comprising
the antibody of the invention.
[0080] The present invention also provides a pharmaceutical and
diagnostic, respectively, pack or kit comprising one or more
containers filled with one or more of the above described
ingredients, in particular immunostimulant, binding molecule,
antibody or binding fragment thereof, as defined hereinbefore, and
optionally reagents for detection of neo-epitope binding and/or
instructions for use. Associated with such container(s) can be a
notice in the form prescribed by a governmental agency regulating
the manufacture, use or sale of pharmaceuticals or biological
products, which notice reflects approval by the agency of
manufacture, use or sale for human administration. In addition or
alternatively the kit comprises reagents conventionally used in
immuno or nucleic acid based diagnostic methods and/or instructions
for use in appropriate diagnostic assays. The composition, i.e. kit
of the present invention is of course particularly suitable for the
diagnosis, prevention and treatment of a disorder which is
accompanied with the presence of a disorder-associated protein as
defined above, especially amyloidosis, and in particular applicable
for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD).
[0081] The terms "treatment", "treating" and the like are used
herein to generally mean obtaining a desired pharmacological and/or
physiological effect. The effect may be prophylactic in terms of
completely or partially preventing a disease or symptom thereof
and/or may be therapeutic in terms of partially or completely
curing a disease and/or adverse effect attributed to the disease.
The term "treatment" as used herein covers any treatment of a
disease in a mammal, particularly a human, and includes: (a)
preventing the disease from occurring in a subject which may be
predisposed to the disease but has not yet been diagnosed as having
it; (b) inhibiting the disease, i.e. arresting its development; or
(c) relieving the disease, i.e. causing regression of the disease.
Administration of the pharmaceutical composition may be performed
by various ways including but not limited to intravenously,
intramuscularly, subcutaneously, intraperitoneally, intranasally,
parenterally or as an aerosol.
[0082] Furthermore, the term "subject" or "patient" refers to a
mammal, preferably a human, in need of treatment for a condition,
disorder or disease.
[0083] The pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention can
be formulated according to methods well known in the art; see for
example Remington: The Science and Practice of Pharmacy (2000) by
the University of Sciences in Philadelphia, ISBN 0-683-306472.
Examples of suitable pharmaceutical carriers are well known in the
art and include phosphate buffered saline solutions, water,
emulsions, such as oil/water emulsions, various types of wetting
agents, sterile solutions etc. Compositions comprising such
carriers can be formulated by well known conventional methods.
These pharmaceutical compositions can be administered to the
subject at a suitable dose. Administration of the suitable
compositions may be effected by different ways, e.g., by
intravenous, intraperitoneal, subcutaneous, intra-muscular, topical
or intradermal administration. Aerosol formulations such as nasal
spray formulations include purified aqueous or other solutions of
the active agent with preservative agents and isotonic agents. Such
formulations are preferably adjusted to a pH and isotonic state
compatible with the nasal mucous membranes. Formulations for rectal
or vaginal administration may be presented as a suppository with a
suitable carrier.
[0084] Furthermore, whereas the present invention includes the now
standard (though fortunately infrequent) procedure of drilling a
small hole in the skull to administer a drug of the present
invention, in a preferred aspect, the binding molecule, especially
antibody or antibody based drug of the present invention can cross
the blood-brain barrier, which allows for intravenous or oral
administration.
[0085] The dosage regimen will be determined by the attending
physician and clinical factors. As is well known in the medical
arts, dosages for any one patient depends upon many factors,
including the patient's size, body surface area, age, the
particular compound to be administered, sex, time and route of
administration, general health, and other drugs being administered
concurrently. A typical dose can be, for example, in the range of
0.1 mg per kilogram of body weight to 10 mg per kilogram of body
weight (or of nucleic acid for expression or for inhibition of
expression in this range); however, doses below or above this
exemplary range are envisioned, especially considering the
aforementioned factors. Generally, the regimen as a regular
administration of the pharmaceutical composition should be in the
range of 1 .mu.g to 10 mg per kilogram of body weight units once or
twice weekly. If the regimen is a continuous infusion, it should
also be in the range of 1 .mu.g to 10 mg units per kilogram of body
weight per minute, respectively. Progress can be monitored by
periodic assessment. Preparations for parenteral administration
include sterile aqueous or non-aqueous solutions, suspensions, and
emulsions. Examples of non-aqueous solvents are propylene glycol,
polyethylene glycol, vegetable oils such as olive oil, and
injectable organic esters such as ethyl oleate. Aqueous carriers
include water, alcoholic/aqueous solutions, emulsions or
suspensions, including saline and buffered media. Parenteral
vehicles include sodium chloride solution, Ringer's dextrose,
dextrose and sodium chloride, lactated Ringer's, or fixed oils.
Intravenous vehicles include fluid and nutrient replenishers,
electrolyte replenishers (such as those based on Ringer's
dextrose), and the like. Preservatives and other additives may also
be present such as, for example, antimicrobials, anti-oxidants,
chelating agents, and inert gases and the like. Furthermore, the
pharmaceutical composition of the invention may comprise further
agents such as dopamine or psychopharmacologic drugs, depending on
the intended use of the pharmaceutical composition. Furthermore,
the pharmaceutical composition may also be formulated as a vaccine.
It may also be a pharmaceutical composition of the invention
comprising an anti-Abeta antibody for passive immunization.
[0086] In addition, co-administration or sequential administration
of other agents may be desirable. A therapeutically effective dose
or amount refers to that amount of the active ingredient sufficient
to ameliorate the symptoms or condition. Therapeutic efficacy and
toxicity of such compounds can be determined by standard
pharmaceutical procedures in cell cultures or experimental animals,
e.g., ED50 (the dose therapeutically effective in 50% of the
population) and LD50 (the dose lethal to 50% of the population).
The dose ratio between therapeutic and toxic effects is the
therapeutic index, and it can be expressed as the ratio, LD50/ED50.
Preferably, the therapeutic agent in the composition is present in
an amount sufficient to measurably improve normal behavior and/or
cognitive properties in case of Alzheimer's disease.
[0087] These and other embodiments are disclosed and encompassed by
the description and examples of the present invention. Further
literature concerning any one of the materials, methods, uses and
compounds to be employed in accordance with the present invention
may be retrieved from public libraries and databases, using for
example electronic devices. For example the public database
"Medline" may be utilized, which is hosted by the National Center
for Biotechnology Information and/or the National Library of
Medicine at the National Institutes of Health. Further databases
and web addresses, such as those of the European Bioinformatics
Institute (EBI), which is part of the European Molecular Biology
Laboratory (EMBL) are known to the person skilled in the art and
can also be obtained using internet search engines. An overview of
patent information in biotechnology and a survey of relevant
sources of patent information useful for retrospective searching
and for current awareness are given in Berks, TIBTECH 12 (1994),
352-364.
[0088] The above disclosure generally describes the present
invention. Several documents are cited throughout the text of this
specification. Full bibliographic citations may be found at the end
of the specification immediately preceding the claims. The contents
of all cited references (including literature references, issued
patents, published patent applications as cited throughout this
application and manufacturer's specifications, instructions, etc)
are hereby expressly incorporated by reference; however, there is
no admission that any document cited is indeed prior art as to the
present invention.
[0089] A more complete understanding can be obtained by reference
to the following specific examples which are provided herein for
purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the
scope of the invention.
EXAMPLES
[0090] Detailed descriptions of conventional methods, such as those
employed herein can be found in the cited literature; see also "The
Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy" Seventeenth Ed. ed by Beers
and Berkow (Merck & Co., Inc. 2003).
[0091] The practice of the present invention will employ, unless
otherwise indicated, conventional techniques of cell biology, cell
culture, molecular biology, transgenic biology, microbiology,
recombinant DNA, and immunology, which are within the skill of the
art. For further elaboration of general techniques useful in the
practice of this invention, the practitioner can refer to standard
textbooks and reviews in cell biology and tissue culture; see also
the references cited in the examples. General methods in molecular
and cellular biochemistry can be found in such standard textbooks
as Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, 3rd Ed. (Sambrook et
al., Harbor Laboratory Press 2001); Short Protocols in Molecular
Biology, 4th Ed. (Ausubel et al. eds., John Wiley & Sons 1999);
DNA Cloning, Volumes I and II (Glover ed., 1985); Oligonucleotide
Synthesis (Gait ed., 1984); Nucleic Acid Hybridization (Hames and
Higgins eds. 1984); Transcription And Translation (Hames and
Higgins eds. 1984); Culture Of Animal Cells (Freshney and Alan,
Liss, Inc., 1987); Gene Transfer Vectors for Mammalian Cells
(Miller and Calos, eds.); Current Protocols in Molecular Biology
and Short Protocols in Molecular Biology, 3rd Edition (Ausubel et
al., eds.); and Recombinant DNA Methodology (Wu, ed., Academic
Press). Gene Transfer Vectors For Mammalian Cells (Miller and
Calos, eds., 1987, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory); Methods In
Enzymology, Vols. 154 and 155 (Wu et al., eds.); Immobilized Cells
And Enzymes (IRL Press, 1986); Perbal, A Practical Guide To
Molecular Cloning (1984); the treatise, Methods In Enzymology
(Academic Press, Inc., N.Y.); Immunochemical Methods In Cell And
Molecular Biology (Mayer and Walker, eds., Academic Press, London,
1987); Handbook Of Experimental Immunology, Volumes I-IV (Weir and
Blackwell, eds., 1986). Protein Methods (Bollag et al., John Wiley
& Sons 1996); Non-viral Vectors for Gene Therapy (Wagner et al.
eds., Academic Press 1999); Viral Vectors (Kaplitt & Loewy
eds., Academic Press 1995); Immunology Methods Manual (Lefkovits
ed., Academic Press 1997); and Cell and Tissue Culture: Laboratory
Procedures in Biotechnology (Doyle & Griffiths, John Wiley
& Sons 1998). Reagents, cloning vectors and kits for genetic
manipulation referred to in this disclosure are available from
commercial vendors such as BioRad, Stratagene, Invitrogen,
Sigma-Aldrich, and ClonTech.
[0092] Animals
[0093] APPsweArc transgenic mice were generated and breed as
previously described (Knobloch et al., 2006). Mice were kept under
standard housing conditions and had free access to food and water.
The treatment groups were balanced for age (14-15 months at start),
gender and littermates (genetic background).
[0094] Treatment and Treatment Groups
[0095] Three groups of APPsweArc transgenic mice and two groups of
wild type littermates were analyzed. The first group of APPsweArc
mice were treated biweekly i.p. with 50 .mu.g CPG 1826 (Coley
Pharmaceutical Group Inc.) diluted in sterile endotoxin free PBS
with a constant injection volume of 100 .mu.l per mice. A second
group of APPsweArc mice was treated once weekly i.p. with 10 .mu.g
CPG 1826. A third group of APPsweArc mice was injected biweekly
i.p. with 100 .mu.l of PBS. Two groups of wild type mice were
either treated biweekly i.p. with 50 .mu.g CPG 1826 or were left
untreated. Animals were observed on a regular basis for any signs
of illness and/or distress. CPG 1826 or PBS were administered for a
total of 20 weeks, starting with an age between 14 and 15
months.
[0096] Group 1: APPsweArc mice; 50 .mu.g CPG 1826 2.times. weekly
i.p. (n=9)
[0097] Group 2: APPsweArc mice; 10 .mu.g CPG 1826 1.times. weekly
i.p. (n=8)
[0098] Group 3: APPsweArc mice; PBS 2.times. weekly i.p. (n=10)
[0099] Group 4: wt littermates; 50 .mu.g CPG 1826 2.times. weekly
i.p. (n=8)
[0100] Group 5: wt littermates, untreated (n=6)
[0101] Y-Maze Behavior Testing
[0102] Mice were adapted to a reversed light cycle at least a week
before the experiment. Mice were placed into the Y-Maze (40 cm arm
length) and explored for 5 min. Movements were recorded with a
camera and the EthoVision software, arm entries were recorded
manually. The percent alternation was calculated as the ratio of
actual to possible alternations (defined as the total number of arm
entries-2).times.100%.
[0103] Radial Arm Water Maze Behavior Testing
[0104] One week after the Y-Maze mice were tested in the radial arm
water maze (RAWM) according to Alamed et al. (2006). RAWM was
conducted for four consecutive days. On day 1, mice were presented
for the first 12 trials with alternating visible and hidden
platform. On day 2 and 3 mice were trained with hidden platform
only. On day 1 to 3 the position of the platform remained the same.
On day 4 the location of the platform was changed and mice had to
find the new location of the platform. Each trial lasted a maximum
of 60 sec, the inter trial interval was approx. 10 min. Each mouse
performed a total of 15 trials per day.
[0105] Analysis of Brain Levels of A.beta.40 and A.beta.42
[0106] For Phosphate buffered saline (PBS) brain homogenates,
frozen hemibrains (excluding brainstem, cerebellum and optic lobes)
were homogenized with a dounce homogenizer in 5 volumes of TBS with
a protease inhibitor cocktail (Roche Applied Science, Indianapolis,
Ind.). The samples were centrifuged at 175,000 g for 30 minutes at
4.degree. C. The supernatant (PBS-soluble homogenate) was collected
and stored at -80.degree. C. The pellets were resuspended in the
same volume of PBS-T (TBS/1% triton X-100 plus protease inhibitor
cocktail) buffer, sonicated for 5 min in 4.degree. C. water bath,
homogenized, and centrifuged at 175,000 g for 30 min at 4.degree.
C. The supernatant (PBS-T-soluble homogenate), containing
membrane-bound AB, was collected and stored at -80.degree. C. The
pellets were extracted a third time as previously described
(Johnson-Wood et al., 1997) using ice cold guanidine buffer (5 M
guanidine-HCl/50 mM Tris, pH 8.0) (herein referred to as
PBS-insoluble or guanidine homogenate). A.beta.1-40 (AB40) and
A.beta.1-42 (AB42) levels were determined in PBS, PBS-T and
guanidine brain homogenates. Concentrations of A.beta.40 and
A.beta.42 were determined by ELISA using the .beta. AMYLOID [1-40]
and .beta. AMYLOID [1-42] ELISA kits (Invitrogen, USA) according to
manufacturer's instructions.
[0107] Histology and Plaque Load Analysis
[0108] Mice selected for histology were anesthetized (10 ml/g body
weight ketamin/xylaxine) and perfused transcardially with PBS. One
brain hemisphere was immediately frozen on dry-ice for further
biochemical analysis. The other hemisphere was fixed over night in
4% paraformaldehyde. 30 .mu.m floating coronal sections were
prepared using a sliding microtome. Congo Red Staining for compact
plaques was performed according to Wilcock et al. (2006). Antibody
staining for both compact and diffuse plaques was performed with
.alpha.-A.beta. rabbit polyclonal antibody (Zymed, USA).
Quantification of Congo Red and A.beta. staining was done using the
ImageProPlus software (MediaCybernetics, Germany). 2 series of 8
sections per animal were used for quantification.
[0109] Anti-Abeta Autoantibody ELISA
[0110] Half-area 96 well plates (Corning) were coated over night
with 1 .mu.g/ml of fibrillar A.beta.42 or A.beta.40 in coating
buffer (carbonate buffer, pH 9.6). 1:20 or 1:100 dilutions of mouse
plasma were incubated for 1.5 hours followed by detection with
standard HRP-coupled anti-mouse secondary antibody (Jackson
Laboratories, USA).
Example 1
Induction of Elevated Titers of Anti-Beta-Amyloid-Plaque Antibodies
Concomitant with Reduced Plaque Load in APP Transgenic Mice
[0111] The hypothesis underlying the present invention is confirmed
by applying CpG-motifs or SIMRA compounds to immunocompetent
amyloid precursor protein transgenic mice with low baseline-levels
of auto-antibodies against the human Abeta peptide. In a preferred
embodiment of the present invention, the transgenic animal is a
mouse harboring a transgene encoding amyloid precursor protein
(APP) consisting of the arctic mutation (G693G) and the Swedish
mutation (KM670/671NL), under the control of the prion protein
promoter (PrP) named arcAbeta mouse (Knobloch et al., Neurobiol.
Aging July 28 (2006). Aged arcAbeta mice are treated with a single
or multiple subcutaneous injections of 0.2 to 20 mg/kg body weight
of completely phosphorothioate-modified
CpG-oligodeoxyribonucleotide 1826 which is assumed to be a kind of
equivalent to the human TLR-9 agonist CpG 7909 (called ProMune.TM.
(Coley Pharmaceuticals)) or the control nonstimulatory
oligodeoxyribonucleotide 1982; for nucleotide sequences see Milas
et al., Cancer Research 64 (2004), 5074-5077 and the references
cited above. Serum samples are analyzed for anti-beta-amyloid
antibodies by ELISA and TAPIR assay; see supra. Antibody titers are
determined by serial dilution of the sera and increased serum
titers of beta-amyloid specific antibodies can be detected in the
CpG-oligodeoxyribonucleotide 1826 treated animals compared to the
control group treated with the nonstimulatory
oligodeoxyribonucleotide 1982. Three to six month after initiation
of treatment, mice are anesthetized (10 .mu.l/g bw
ketamin/xylaxine) and perfused transcardially with PBS. The brains
are fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde and embedded in paraffin. 5 .mu.m
sagittal sections are cut with a Leica RM 2135 microtome
(Bannockburn, Ill.). For immunohistochemistry, slices are dewaxed,
blocked with 4% BSA, 5% goat serum and 5% horse serum in PBS for 1
h at RT. For the detection of brain beta-amyloid plaques, 6E10
antibody (Signet) at 1:500 dilution is incubated overnight at
4.degree. C. followed by incubation with secondary fluorophore
coupled antibodies at RT for 2 h. 3 sections per brain, .about.75
.mu.m apart are used for the analysis. 2 images per section are
taken at 10.times. magnification using an inverted microscope
(Leica DMIRE2) and quantitative analysis of cortical .beta.-amyloid
plaque load is performed using the ImageJ software
(http://rsb.info.nih.gov/ij/).
Example 2
CpG Treatment Improves Behavior in Transgenic Mouse Models of
Alzheimer's Disease
[0112] In the Y-maze, a reduced number of arm entries was observed
for the PBS treated transgenic APPsweArc mice compared to both
groups of wild type littermates analyzed (FIG. 1a). Treatment with
either 10 or 50 .mu.g of CpG resulted in an increased number of arm
entries indicating a higher level of exploratory activity.
Similarly, the percentage of alternations was reduced in PBS
treated APPsweArc mice compared to both wild type groups indicating
impaired working memory (FIG. 1b). In contrast, APPsweArc mice
treated with either dose of CpG performed similar to wild type
mice, suggesting that the CpG treatment improved cognitive
function.
[0113] In the RAWM experiments average time and errors to reach the
platform was analyzed for blocks 3-5 of day 4. PBS-treated
APPsweArc mice exhibit increased time (FIG. 2a) and error rate
(FIG. 2b), respectively, compared to both wt groups. Treatment with
either 10 .mu.g or 50 .mu.g of CpG is associated with a trend for a
dose-dependent improvement in the time needed to locate the
platform as well as the frequency of errors. This suggests that CpG
treatment can improve learning performance in the APPsweArc
transgenic mouse models of Alzheimer's disease.
Example 3
CpG Treatment Reduces Total Brain A.beta. Plaque Load and Compact
Congophilic Amyloid Deposits
[0114] Total A.beta. immunohistochemistry using a polyclonal
anti-A.beta. antibody revealed extensive deposition of A.beta.
plaques in the cortex and hippocampus (FIG. 3a) of PBS treated
APPsweArc transgenic mice. Treatment with either 10 .mu.g or 50
.mu.g CpG was associated with a clear trend towards a dose
dependent reduction in total A.beta. plaque load. A similar
reduction was observed for compact congophilic amyloid deposits as
revealed by Congo red staining indicating that chronic treatment
with CpG desoxynucleotides can ameliorate amyloid plaque
pathology.
Example 4
CpG Treatment Reduces Brain Soluble and Insoluble A.beta.
[0115] To assess the effects of CpG treatment on soluble and
insoluble brain levels of A.beta.40 and A.beta.42, brains of
APPsweArc mice were sequentially extracted in PBS, PBS/Triton X-100
and Guanidine and A.beta. levels in each fraction were analyzed by
sandwich ELISA. Upon chronic CpG treatment modest reductions in
soluble brain A.beta.40 and A.beta.42 levels were observed in the
in PBS (FIG. 4a, b) and PBS/Triton X-100 fractions (FIG. 4c).
Cerebral insoluble levels of A.beta.40 and A.beta.42 as measured by
guanidine extraction were strongly reduced by up to 50% in both CpG
treatment groups compared to PBS treated transgenic animals (FIG.
5). Due to a high variability and small group size, the observed
changes did not reach significance. These data are in agreement
with the observed effects on A.beta. plaque load and indicate that
CpG treatment can ameliorate the pathologic brain accumulation and
deposition of A.beta. in transgenic Alzheimer's disease model
mice.
Example 4
CpG Treatment Enhances Plasma Antibodies Directed Against Fibrillar
Abeta
[0116] The plasma titers of autoantibodies directed against
beta-amyloid fibrils were measured by ELISA analysis of terminal
bleed plasma. A strong increase in circulating antibodies to
beta-amyloid fibrils was detected in the 50 .mu.g CpG treatment
group suggesting that elevated levels of beta-amyloid
autoantibodies were induced and still detectable at the end of the
treatment paradigm. No difference was detected between total IgG
and IgM levels between different groups. CpG treatment further
resulted in increased plasma levels of A.beta.40 and A.beta.42
suggesting a shift of Abeta from the brain towards peripheral
compartments.
SUMMARY
[0117] In accordance with the present invention it was surprisingly
found that and as the basis of this invention it could be shown,
that APP transgenic mice displayed significantly elevated titers of
antibodies directed against beta-amyloid-plaques and significantly
reduced brain beta-amyloid plaque load following treatment with the
CpG-oligodeoxyribonucleotide but not the control non-CpG containing
oligonucleotide or PBS. In accordance with the present invention it
is believed, though not intended to be bound by theory, that
preexisting antibodies preferably reactive with non-neo-epitopes of
beta-amyloid are successfully suppressed by phenomena of tolerance,
while B-cells directed against neo-epitopes present in
beta-amyloid-plaques get stimulated, thus not substantially
inducing an undesired type of autoimmune disease. In summary, a
novel approach for treating conditions associated with amyloidosis
including Alzheimer's disease as well as other diseases and
disorders that are caused by the accumulation of abnormal protein
structures and peptide aggregation, in particular neurodegenerative
diseases has been established.
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References